"DETROIT — Even though several automakers plan to begin selling electric vehicles next year, their sales may be limited by the lack of a national infrastructure to support them, speakers at a conference here on plug-in cars said on Wednesday.

Utilities that serve most of the nation’s electricity customers said they were aware of the issue, and would take several steps, including working to help develop plans for charging stations, and would use battery-powered vehicles themselves.

Among the biggest challenges for automakers is overcoming consumers’ fears of becoming stranded with a dead battery — what the industry calls 'range anxiety.'

'This isn’t just an experiment for us,' said William Clay Ford Jr., Ford Motor’s executive chairman. 'We can provide the vehicles; we can provide the hardware. But we cannot unilaterally solve all of the national issues.'"